Lake Hopatcong Mostly Clear Of Algal Bloom

HOPATCONG, NJ — The majority of Lake Hopatcong is no longer under a harmful algal bloom advisory, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection said on Tuesday.

Based on data from Oct. 3 samples, the advisory has been lifted across nearly 90 percent of the lake. Only two sections remain under the advisory: the Prospect Point and Woodport areas in the northeastern portion of the lake.

In those two areas, people should be careful to avoid contact with the water and to not eat fish caught there. But the rest of the lake may be enjoyed normally.

This is the largest lift of the advisory since it was first announced for the entire lake in late-June. The advisory stayed in place across the majority of the lake for the entire summer, only being lifted in large swaths in the final weeks, after school resumed for the new year.

Levels of cyanobacteria, the bacteria behind the blooms, must be below 20,000 cells per milliliter to be safe for swimming. They tested well over that safety limit in certain sections of the lake this summer.